Taking Back Control
by AbhiNikiLuver
Summary: Ana Steele Grey never stood for bullying. But now, her mother-in-law Grace has noticed that a certain grey-eyed billionaire has been making Ana's life miserable. What do they do now?
1. Chapter 1

Ana Grey, nee Steele, never stood for bullying. And until her mother in law Grace noticed, she never knew that she was being bullied by her husband.

Note: Everyone knows about Elena, Christian's BDSM, the playroom, etc

"Grace! He doesn't! Christian would never do something like that!" Ana was horrified that Grace would think something like that. Her own son? Abuse Ana? Never!

Grace sighed. "Darling, I know you love him. I do too. Very very much. But you have to understand: he may be emotionally abusing you; this is not what goes on in a healthy relationship. Christian is not your owner, nor are you his servant. You should not have your life dictated."

Grace could see the conflict in Ana's eyes.

"Dear, has Christian ever forbidden you from doing anything?"

Ana was quiet. Had he? Yes, but it was only for her good, wasn't it? Or was it? He had forbidden her from being friends with Jose, probably from jealousy. And he had limited her time with Kate. She was not to see Kate unless it was in Christian's presence. Slowly, Kate had grown so uncomfortable that her visits had dwindled to just family gettogethers. She was not allowed to see Ethan, one of her (gay) best friends due to Christian's posessiveness and jealousy. Now Ana was getting mad. Who was he to forbid her from doing anything?

"Yes Grace, he has. And most of my relationships have fallen apart because of that. He is very posessive and intrusive. Oh Grace, what do I do?" Ana sobbed. My life is miserable. "Grace, he never tells me anything and expects me to do as he says. The other day he told me to go home after work, but I stopped at a restaurant to pick up some food. When I got home, he lashed out at me and didn't talk to me for a week! Turns out, we had been stalked for a while and there was a threat! Grace, if he had just told me! I don't do any of this to defy him! I just want to live my life without being controlled!"

Grace pulled her into a hug. "Oh Ana..." My son is a stupid prick, Grace thought. Ana was just getting started, it seemed.

"Grace, every time we fight and I try to go talk to you or Kate or Flynn, he thinks I'm leaving him! He blames all of it on his dead mother and his teenage issues and Elena! I'm sick of him using excuses, why can't he just own up to anything? It's been three years, Grace, three years! I'm sick of this. I can't go anywhere without being accompanied by five guards and having a background check done on everyone I come into contact with. I know Christian says it's all for my safety, but I can't help but wonder if it's for him to know where I am at every minute in every day. Grace, I hate BDSM. But Christian wants it. And just so I know he won't run off to a sub or Elena, I go in there with him!" Ana snorted through her tears. How pathetic! She had to do something she hated just to make sure her husband didn't run off and cheat on her.

"Grace, for the longest time, I though I was the problem. Maybe if I acted more like he wanted me to, he wouldn't feel a need to punish or dominate. But now I can see: I'm not the problem here, am I?"

Ana was quiet for a minute.

"I am ready to have kids, Grace, I have been for a while. But Christian has said that under no circumstances is he ever to have a child. I keep thinking and hoping that maybe once I can convince him... But now I know that will never happen. I;m tired of all this, Grace. I'm tired of having to leave him just for him to realize what he's missing. That cycle repeats every few months." She turned to Grace. "Grace, I don't want you to think I'm giving up on your son. I have given him three years of my life, and enough love to last a lifetime. But I don't think I can do this anymore."

Grace turned Ana's face towards her. "Ana! Don't you ever think Carrick and I could be mad at you! You are our daughter just as much as Christian is our son! And you are not to blame in this. If anything, it's Christian's fault entirely, and I am extremely disappointed in him. I don't think I will ever be able to look at him the same way again. As for you, Ana, you need to live your life. Be happy. With or without Christian. Don't let Christian get to you again. Don't take me wrong, if you and Christian ever have a relationship where he treats you like an equal, no one will be happier than me. But, and don't take this the wrong way darling, I don't think Christian can do that."

Ana nodded and wiped her tears. "What do I do now Grace?"

Grace smiled at Ana. "Believe it or not, I happen to know a wonderful lawyer who we can go speak to right this instant..."

TO BE CONTINUED

UPDATE DATE: Friday May 15th


	2. Chapter 2

Carrick Grey was a man of his word. When Ana and Christian had gotten married, he had sworn that he would do anything in his power to protect Anastasia just as he did Christian. If that meant betraying his son, so be it.

"Carrick, what do I do? Christian won't let me go without a fight... hell, he won't let me go period. He's obsessive and posessive, you know him!" Ana was disheartened.

"Ana, sweetheart, you are a strong determined woman. Nothing can stop you from getting what you want. I love my son. I love Christian very much, but I also love you very much, Ana. You are more a part of the family than Christian. Now, as Grace said, I would love nothing more than to see you two happy together. But from what you have told me, that is a thing of the past. It will take the big guns to tame Christian's behavior. So, for the time being, let's discuss the future and what we can do. I'm going to explain the different options and choices you have, okay?"

Ana nodded. She loved Christian so very much. But it was time for her to find her voice again. Sometime in the three years, she had lost her spine and confidence. It was time to empower herself again. _Get it together, Steele. You're only 25 for godsakes._

"Okay Ana, before we talk about your options, I need to explain something. Christian is a narcissist. Although he doesn't like himself or having himself be in the limelight, he needs and craves it. He wants you to recognize and praise him. He wants everything for himself. He identifies himself with people of his status and wealth. And he likes to conquer things he wants. People like this are, legally speaking, the most frustrating to deal with. They defy their own lawyers and sometimes even court orders, and hold somethings over your head. This is going to be a hard process, Ana.

The first thing you need to do is to get a legal team. I cannot represent you as that would be a conflict of interest and I would be barred from that case. I will, however, get the best team of lawyers for you. We will then have to go through your financials. You are a wealthy woman, Ana. Christian will no doubt find the best team money can buy and try to find any loopholes to stop you. But my team doesn't answer to just money. We care about each other. What you need to do, Ana, is go see Flynn. He will be of immense help to you. And Ana dear, I think you yourself need to go see a therapist. Preferably not Flynn, however. You have been through a lot, and just in the course of today, you've taken some big decisions."

Ana nodded. "I know, Carrick. It's overwhelming, but I need to do this for myself. Thank you so much."

Carrick rose from his chair and hugged Ana. "Darling, rather than be in an unhappy marriage feeding Christian's insecurities, be happy living free. We will always love you and don't you every forget that."

Update Date: Saturday May 16th

 **Thank you all so much for reading! I am not one of those people who aill ask for 10 reviews so I can post the next chapter simply because I like to write, even if nobody reads. I'm a very angsty person, and am very inspired by the author bookjunk. I believe that Ana in the books is very naive and weak. I am the same age, but completely the opposite. So I wrote Ana the way I like her. Be warned, however, that Christian will not just be able to seduce Ana back into his life. I hate stories where Ana has no self-control and will sleep with Christian just because he makes her stomach flutter. ;)**

 **Now a question for you: Life gets in the way, but I will NEVER abandon my stories. I hate authors who do, so I won't. Would you rather I update a long chapter (equal to two/three small chapters) two times a week, or small chapters (like Ch1 and 2) three to four times a week?**

 **Please let me know and thank you for reading! Criticism always appreciated! Feel free to send me hate mail because I have a very thick skin :)**


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